To be secretly fuming about my colleague ruining the early finish today for everyone?

[felixnavidad]

I work in the public sector and apparently it’s an unwritten rule that if work is quiet and there’s no emergencies, we get an early finish from the office. We were warned by other colleagues that this is by no means guaranteed. It’s an arrangement between the managers and the staff.

One colleague this morning swans in and starts talking about how happy she is to finish at lunchtime today. Nothing mentioned by the managers, just her decision. The manager immediately side eyes her and says it’s not a guarantee.

All morning she craps on about it to the point that the manager says “if you sit down and do your work we’ll see, and get off your phone”. Said colleague refuses, keeps going on and by lunch the manager says that unfortunately we won’t be leaving early, because of this colleague.

We’re all pretty annoyed by that point but this colleague is now going about the office whinging about the fact that we didn’t get to go early, but it was her fault.

Now I know this is pretty crappy management by the manager, but AIBU to be pretty fuming about the colleague not just sitting down and doing her work?!

You should be annoyed at both, both caused this on purpose 🤷‍♀️

I know the manager was pretty crappy in what she did, but in her defence said colleague would probably kick off if they were the only one left in the office. I just feel so frustrated about that colleague not being able to keep a lid on it and act normally for half a day.

She didn’t have to leave that colleague there either, she did it out of spite. Very festive

Where do you work where management are such power trippers? This is nuts ! The manager is a dick that’s who’s fault it is

you aren’t children - couldn’t work somewhere I’m treated like that

I just don’t see that the colleague was right either. She took the piss massively today, sitting and talking about how annoyed she was to be there, when she had the option to book it as leave and chose not to

That colleague (hopefully) learnt today.

I think teachers are normally out of order when they punish the whole class for one child's behaviour. This is definately the case of a manager who needs reprimanding.

I'd be more annoyed with the spiteful manager than the stupid colleague.

If it was a “you can go early” situation that was taken away I’d agree fully, but it’s a bit of a gentleman’s agreement. We do our job for the morning with no slacking off and we go at lunch, she was warned about it and didn’t listen. I think the manager is a bit of an arse too, because she could’ve let us all go at 12 and disciplined the colleague privately, but I don’t think the colleague is blameless either. All around just a really crappy day

Manager is a bit shit, didn't really manage the situation at all.

Why does the manager need to be reprimanded? Sounds like the ability to leave early is an informal privilege left to their discretion, or not.

I didn’t say colleague was right, I said both were equally wrong. But it’s Christmas Eve, nobody wants to work properly on Christmas Eve

You’re right, nobody does, but most of us did

Manager sounds like a total asshole. You should be annoyed with the manager.

Yeah that’s essentially what it is - their choice whether we can go or not

And your dickhead manager chose to punish all of you rather than just turn a blind eye to stupid colleague, so clearly you shouldn’t have bothered.

Oh I agree the manager should’ve turned a blind eye to it. But the colleague was told multiple times that it’s not something we’re guaranteed and was warned by the manager that their behaviour was putting it in jeopardy

Wow, are you all at school? What a dick the manager sounds, cutting her nose off to spite her face.

What type of company do you work for?

I work in the public sector. It’s literally just the bank holidays off. The lunchtime finish is just a little gift from the manager to us - usually it’s pretty quiet so they let us go and they handle the afternoon. But it’s not a guarantee.

It’s the “cancelled school disco” method of discipline.

Colleague bang out of order. Paid for the full day, yet did nothing? I dont blame the manager at all - they warned the colleague from what you posted. A goodwill gesture is exactly that and the colleague took the piss. Next year I would watch your back with that colleague and not be supportive. They need elbowing out.

Yeah I tried to say it a few times when she was going on in earshot of the manager that it was unfair, but she kept going on.

not sure that manager is able for the job.

One of our colleagues became public enemy #1, by complaining about the fact we were sent home around 1 instead 5pm. Why did she complain? She'd taken the week as annual leave and we were all getting an extra half day leave than her
Miserable cow got a policy implemented so noone was allowed to leave until 5pm (unless booked leave). We were sitting around chatting, browsing the internet doing absolutely fuck all... The next few years so many people went home sick (or didn't come because poorly)

The she left the company and we went back to the causal arrangement.

The dynamics of your work place are quite eye opening. I would be looking for a new job where you are treated and respected like an adult.